A few weeks ago we saw the movie Family Stone. We both enjoyed it very much. The casting was very good. Even though I can’t stand Sarah Jessica Parker, I think she was perfect for the part of the uptight woman who accompanies her boyfriend to his family’s annual Christmas celebration. She reminds me quite a bit of someone I used to be married to.

The ensemble cast of Parker, Claire Daines, Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, and Luke Wilson are very believable as a slightly quirky family. I enjoyed every single one of them. OK, I enjoyed Rachel McAdams a little more than the others. To paraphrase something I said on my previous web site about Kate Beckinsale, I can watch Rachel McAdams doing nothing for two hours.

This movie is a good mix of comedy and serious moments. It goes in my list of “feel good” movies. A good movie for the holiday season. I recommend it.

Earlier this month, Regine and I went to the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood to see Rob Thomas in concert. The show was phenomenal!!!

The opening act was Anna Nalick. During her set Rob descended from the ceiling suspended by a wire wearing an angel costume. That set the tone for the entire evening. Regine called it “A Night at the Improv”. Not only because of the stunts; but also for the music.

In addition to his high flying entrance there were a few other unplanned surprises. When the stage crew was supposed to bring out an electric piano for Rob to play, they actually brought out a Linus-sized piano and stool for him. After Rob’s fooling around and trying to play it, they brought out the real one. One of the highlights of the concert was when Rob and his drummer, Abe, switch roles. Rob played drums while Abe sang a song called Lopsided Lover. “…she stutters when she talks and walks with a limp, has 3 teeth and a lazy eye!!…” And, by the way, her name is Eileen.

The musical performance was great. It was very refreshing because there was lots of improvization and no effort to try to make the songs sound like they did on the albums. This shows true talent and versatility. There was good mix of songs from his first solo album Something To Be, his Target exclusive EP Something More, and plenty of Matchbox 20 songs. He also did a very good rendition of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance.

One of Rob’s songs that gives me pause whenever I hear it is 3 am. He wrote it about his mother having cancer when he was 12. Even though the song sounds a bit upbeat, it is very touching; especially if you know what it’s about. The version he did on the 2004 Songwriter’s Hall of Fame show was chilling. In concert, he did the song closer to the album version and gracefully transitioned into Steve Miller Band’s The Joker.

This concert was initially supposed to be back in October; but was rescheduled due to Hurricane Wilma. I’m glad they rescheduled it. It was one of the best concerts I’ve been to.

I’ve been meaning to write this for over a month. Back in early November, Regine and I went to see Brad Paisley at the Germain Arena in Estero. Estero is right off of I-75 between Naples and Fort Myers. It consists of the Germain Arena, an outlet mall, an Outback Steakhouse, a McDonalds’ and a Publix. Thats It!

The opening act was Sugarland. They were good and kept the audience entertained. Not the usual “get on with the headliner” feeling of most concerts.

I hadn’t heard Brad Paisley’s latest album, Time Well Wasted, before going to this concert. I’d just been too busy to pick it up until about a week before the concert. I am very familiar with his previous album, Mud on the Tires.

The concert was great. Brad is a naturally talented entertainer, has a very likeable demeanor and great sense of humor. I wasn’t really into country music much before I was introduced to him. His music is so much fun to listen to and easy to identify with that I was hooked almost immediately. If you own only one country album, it should be Mud on the Tires.

I got in line at CVS yesterday morning behind a thirty-something woman who was talking to the cashier about Christmas. She said that her 5 year old son came home from school and had the following conversation with her…

Little Boy: “Mommy, Johnny at school told me there was no such thing as Santa Claus.”

Mother: “Honey, there was a Santa Claus. He’s dead now. We celebrate his spirit at Christmas every year.”

Oh My God! All these years I thought we were celebrating Jesus Christ’s spirit every year at Christmas. I had to bite my lip really hard to keep from telling this woman that SHE was the problem with people nowadays. We can’t be expected to keep Christ in Christmas if we don’t understand what it’s all about ourselves.

Maybe we celebrate Santa’s spirit on Black Friday; but Christmas is about CHRIST !!!